Forever
by Garnet1
Summary: This one is a zidane+Dagger fic, so if you don't like that couple... What will happen when Dagger is trapped and Zidane arrested? R&R, please! Chapter 5 is up!
1. Forever, Pt 1, Escape From Alexandria

Forever ~Pt. 1, The Dream  
  
Disclaimer: OK, this is VERY cheesy, so don't sue me: No flames! It's a Zidane + Dagger story, so get away before you get insulted! Please, R&R! This is about the Ice Cavern (I made EVERYTHING up or else it wouldn't have fit with my story!) ~Garnet  
  
As the party entered the Ice Cavern, Dagger gasped loudly. She had never in her life seen such a huge grotto before; even the Throne Room in Alexandria Castle couldn't possibly be this big! "She's so beautiful," Zidane mumbled to himself as he stared at Dagger. "What's that, Zidane?" It was Vivi.   
Zidane felt the blood rush to his cheeks, as he turned away, desperate not to let Dagger see his embarrassment. "What's that, Zidane?" Vivi repeated again.   
"Uh...it's nothing."  
"Then why are you turning away?"  
"Vivi!"   
"OK, OK, I get it."   
Dagger, to Zidane's relief hadn't been paying attention as she stared at the shimmering ice walls. Suddenly, out of the dark of the Ice Cavern, a dark figure cloaked entirely in black appeared. "She's mine!" He barked in a rough voice. Zidane and Vivi gasped as they turned around.   
"Hello, my Princess," the person said, as he stepped forward politely and kissed her hand. Dagger didn't really look too happy at all; the fact that a stranger was unconsciously kissing her hand. "Now," he continued, evidently unmoved by Dagger's disapproving faces. "Forgive me for what I'm about to do."   
And with a sudden movement, he sprang up and sprinkled Dagger with a peculiar type of magic dust. Dagger gasped loudly as she fell back, and landed straight in the waiting arms of the stranger. "HAHAHA!" He laughed as he ran swiftly away, leaving a stunned Zidane, Vivi and the Tantalus crew behind.   
Zidane was the first one to come back to his senses. "DAGGER!"   
*****  
All Dagger remembered of the next few hours was being placed on a hard, rough surface and receiving yet another dose of the dust, and then falling in a content, dreamless slumber.   
*****  
"Is it working boss?" A small, funny little voice asked. "Yes, actually, better than I had planned," said a deep, fallen voice that suggested aspirin. "I never thought the Princess could have so easily been fooled by you, boss," the first voice said, after a long silence. "Did you get Nagina?"   
"Yes, I did Zorn."   
"That's great, boss!"   
"Silence! We still have a very long way to go before we'll be able to convince Princess-or shall I say Queen Garnet to hand over to us the Royal Pendant. She's much smarter than that fat-ass Queen Brahne, and it's a pity Brahne had already handed over the Pendant to Garnet; we could have easily fooled the fat-bag."  
"Does Princess Garnet have any idea what we did to her mom?" Zorn asked, sounding extremely worried and scared. He seemed to be timid towards his boss.   
"No, not yet. But I hope it'll come as a surprise to her that she's Queen now; she'll never guess we killed her mother with Bahamut! HAHAHAHA!"   
*****  
Dagger woke up in a sweat. She had just dreamt that her mother had been assassinated by-by whom? Dagger attempted to get up, only to find that the place around her was engulfed in complete darkness. Or maybe it was just nighttime? "Zidane!" Dagger screamed into the lonely blackness. A short pounding of feet was heard, then nothing. "Zidane?" Dagger called out again.   
"Ah, so you're awake, are you not, my Princess." That voice! It was...the same one as the one in her dream! Could it be...Zorn? No, Zorn's voice was way too high. But...what about that boss who had plotted the assassination of Queen Brahne?   
"Who are you?" Dagger whispered lowly. She was barely audible. However, the person standing somewhere around her seemed to have sharp ears, and he whispered back, much more louder, "Very Perceptive, you are, my Queen. But you'll find out soon enough..."   
And then, Dagger dosed off again...blame the magic dust...  
*****  
"Dagger!" Zidane yelled, listening intently for a response. Silence. "Dagger!" He called out again. But he knew Dagger couldn't hear him...she could be miles, ever countries away! Whoever had kidnapped her would pay dearly for this!  
"Ah, waiting for a long-lost friend?" It was the man who had captured Dagger in first place! His scratchy, low voice could not be mistaken with anyone else's; it was too unique. "Where's Dagger!" Zidane yelled.   
"I'm not deaf," the man said calmly. "I can hear exactly what you're saying, so don't scream and kick into a fit. If you want to know who I am...I'm ...I'm Trance-Uken." With this, Trance-Uken removed his hood to reveal a dark glowing body. But just call me Uken; the "Trance" is too long for me." Uken smiled a small, sinister smile and then, he continued.   
"As for the whereabouts of...of this Dagger, she will be cared for comfortably...unless you decided to do something stupid." Uken pointed towards the ceiling of the cavern, where many of the icicles were already melting from the warmth of Uken's power. A small picture of Dagger unconscious on the ground in a very dark room made Zidane shiver. He made a mental note to give Uken a good beating after Dagger was free.   
However, Uken, who definitely had the power to read minds, said calmly, "Ah, but Dagger is under my control. I can make her do something stupid, and she won't even realize it...until it's too late. So don't try anything funny."  
Uken added this with a smirk, and then, summoning three Uranians to do his dirty work, he walked away, evidently very triumphant with himself. "Oh, he is going to pay so dearly," Zidane muttered between clenched teeth. He would get Uken if it was the last thing he did! "Uh," Vivi nodded. "But if you're done daydreaming, Zidane, the Uranians are about to attack!"   
*****  
Dagger stirred ever so slightly from her perch on the floor of the dungeon. "Ah, I see you've awaken, yet again," said Uken, although Dagger didn't know this. "You're very fortunate to be alive; that pounding you got back there was very hard..."  
What pounding? Dagger didn't know, as much as she stretched her memory of any pounding that had happened lately. But then, a throbbing pain reached her from the back of her head, and Dagger winced as tears came to her eyes. "What do you want to do with me?" She asked, almost pitifully.   
"That's none of your business."  
"Of course it is...you're using my body...my soul to do this! But why?"   
"Ah, everyone who comes here asks the same question."  
"Huh?"   
Uken pointed to the side wall, where there were many chains and torturing objects, complete with the bones of many earlier victims. "People richer and more famous than you have died in this dungeon!" He cried, losing his calm expression. "And you...you little bug have only received little of the torture yet...it's only the beginning."  
Dagger sorted these things out in her head, which had stopped hurting that much. "Than what do you have in store for me?" She asked. "I thought you'd never ask," Uken laughed, uncontrollably. "Once I've gathered all your data, you'll be no more use to me...It'll be fun watching you die..."  
Tears again came to Dagger's eyes, as she thought about her life...about how she would miss all her friends, and family, and especially Zidane. Then, for the second time in her life, Dagger felt the floating sensation-as if she had no worries or cares in her life. And then, the unconsciousness slowly crept in...To Be Continued...  
  
I hope you like it; it took my a long time to write this one. ~Garnet  
  
  



	2. Forever, Pt 2, Deception

Forever~ Pt. 2, Deception   
  
Disclaimer: Finally, I'm done this part-took a LONG time, at least a week. But now, I can finally present the 2nd pt. of my story.   
  
The Uranians slowly crept in, ready for any surprise attack. They were fierce, powerful dinosaurs that loved the smell of fresh flesh. "Positron Destroyer!" A million huge fireballs were unleashed and headed for our heroes. They traveled at slow but deadly speeds, the air around them rising intensely.   
But then, at such a moment, Zidane went into Trance and with his Unleash Power attack, he was able to defeat ALL the Uranians.   
*****  
Uken was watching closely at this little hero, this one who refused to give up the fact that he'll never see his loved one again. "...after all," Uken said. "Dagger will be needed to clone all of my elemental fairies-her DNA is quite unique." Then, he laughed hard his voice echoing on stonewalls.   
Slowly, Dagger returned to consciousness, but the pain in her temple made her realize she'd been the victim of another attack. "Finally." Uken again appeared mysteriously, not even making a sound. "Cloning must begin at once...your friends are getting closer. Guards..." Two heavily-armed men appeared, and grabbed Dagger by the arms. Then, they moved down a long corridor to a small middle room-the observatory.   
"What do you want?" Dagger asked, as she was pushed into a glass cylinder. "Once I make my clones," Uken said, as if e hadn't heard anyone. "Then I shall take over all of Gaia-and no one's there to stop me!" Uken threw his head back and laughed hysterically. "At the push of this button, you will be engulfed in Citric Juice...there's nothing you can really do at all...HAHAHAH!"   
As the juice slowly rises from Dagger's ankles, she tried to think of a way to escape, but there wasn't any. The glass around her was so thick...it'd take a miracle to break through that. Suddenly, a huge explosion was heard, and Zidane Tribal, still shining in Trance entered slowly.   
*****  
It had taken all of his strength to scale the mountain and get to the place where Uken was hiding. He had continually lost his Trance, than regained it. But as Zidane neared the steel door, he let forth a mound of energy and destroyed the door into rubble.   
As he entered, he felt his Trance start to wear off; his body seemed less hot. "Dagger!" was all that came out of his mouth when he spotted her waist-deep in the acid, then he spotted Uken sitting there- laughing. At this point, Zidane lost all his temper, and ran into Uken on the leather chair. Caught by total surprise, Uken pulled out a strange controller, and threatened, "If you dare hurt me, she'll be dead too."  
Uken pointed at a small red button at the bottom. "With one hit of this, the citric acid will start to double- all the clones will appear and your friend will lose all her energy." Zidane knew this was true; he'd seen many of these sinister objects before.   
But what could he do? His love was about to die...and he's just standing there in the doorway? With a leap, Zidane jumped over the desk and fell on Uken...but it was too late. Uken punched the red button, and Dagger yelped with pain as she reached down and clutched her leg. Then her arm started to turn green too. Any part of her body that was in the acid turned green, until she started to look like grass. "Help!" She yelped helplessly, as the acid started clutching her face.   
"DAGGER!" Zidane cried. He'd done the wrong thing- but Uken was still alive! He must be destroyed. Zidane went into Trance again, and with a final leap, he killed the legendary Uken. But what would become of Dagger? She now couldn't be seen through the liquid, and in a pipe, strange noises startled Zidane.   
"Zidane!" Blank and Steiner had appeared, followed by Vivi. "What happened here?" Steiner demanded, looking at the cylinder of acid. But the look on Zidane's face said it all. But was Dagger really dead? The pipeline suddenly burst, and hundreds of "Black Daggers" appeared, holding out candlesticks. "Must...Destroy...Zidane." They chanted mechanically.   
Zidane was enraged by these...these creatures. White-hot tears flowed freely down his burnt cheeks as he, for the second time, leapt and slashed at a Black Dagger. But many more were surrounding him. Then, a miraculous thing happened, that even Zidane couldn't describe. Bahamut appeared in the sky, followed swiftly on the ground by Odin.   
Atomos appeared through the ashes from underground, and Shiva flew out on her usual stunning ice perch. And then, the cylinder burst, and out stepped a breathless, and weak Dagger. She wasn't green, she wasn't white...she was yellow. "Dagger's...in Trance?" Zidane questioned himself, extremely stunned.   
All the Eidolons used their attacks, and Trance-Dagger did so too. All the Black Daggers eliminated, leaving a huge hole in the ground, leading towards the basement. And Dagger fell. She stumbled onto the ground, unable to support her body any longer. Her very eyes that had captured Zidane were now losing to the battle fast.   
"Zidane," she said weakly, as Zidane knelled down and cried...cried like a child. "I'll never leave you. And never is forever..." and Dagger's eyes closed. Was Dagger gone forever? Only Doctor Toto would know...but he was in Alexandria! "Zidane," Vivi screeched. "The crew of the Prima Vista have fixed it...you can ride it back to Alexandria."   
Zidane nodded feverishly, and ran towards Bahamut. "Fly," he ordered, and the great dragon soared through the air, right to the wreck of the Prima Vista, still in Evil Forest. "Zidane!" Everyone yelled, but seeing the queen unconscious and possibly dead, they worked together and pumped the engines on full speed.   
But still the Prima Vista moved with grueling slowness, and after an hour, it landed in Alexandria Harbor, just a few steps away from the garden. Immediately, Zidane went in the main hallway, almost bumping into General Beatrix. "Zidane!" She cried, then caught sight of Garnet. "What...my queen!"   
"Quick, just find Dr. Tot!" Zidane snapped, and Beatrix hurried off. Zidane himself hurried up the main staircase towards Garnet's bedroom. He remembered this place- it was the place Dagger and him had first met. Zidane kicked open the door to Garnet's chamber, and with the help of Steiner, he covered her up and waited. After a minute or so, Beatrix hurried in, followed by Dr. Tot chattering about how he had been rudely awakened by Beatrix.   
But catching sight of Garnet unmoving, he quickly leapt up and reached her temple. There was a faint heartbeat. "She's still alive, yet quite weak," he declared. "She'll need the best of care." TO Be Continued...  
  
To be honest, I've got no idea what I'm going to write for Pt. 3, guess you'll just have to see! Bye!   



	3. Forever, Pt 3, Time to Heal

Forever, Pt. 3, Time to Heal  
  
Disclaimer: Finally! I can say that I don't own FFIX, Squaresoft does and so, I have nothing got say, but please, R&R!   
  
The rest of the day was spent in hermones, praying for the young queen, praying that she'd live to become a woman, praying that she'd make it. But all the time, Garnet lay there, unmoving, unnoticing all the tears and faces of shock around her. Zidane may have been taking it the worst. He had shed a million tears, and he had begged for life from the gods a million times...but still, she lay there.   
Slowly, the crowd dissolved, some went to gossip around with the townsmen, some went home, and some went to pray to god in a proper church. However, Zidane, as nightfall passed couldn't-he wouldn't leave Garnet's side. "D-Dagger," he stammered, as a fresh burst of tears escaped his eyes. Steiner watched on helplessly.   
"D-Dagger, how could you? You can't leave me now...we're going to make a family...there are still so many things we have to do..." Zidane didn't carry on. A lump had formed in his throat; it was impossible to say anything but a rude croak.   
Dr. Tot was standing in the doorway, along with General Beatrix who was totally petrified. "This cannot be happening," she reassured herself unevenly. "This isn't happening!" But her words weren't very convincing; she was now shaking. Dr. Tot, noticing this, cried, "Lady Beatrix, you must go to the hospital wing!" But Dr. Tot was glad to get away from the scene of horror.   
Zidane felt like he was floating-he didn't have a care in the world. Little angels surrounded him and Garnet was beside him, holding his arm. He couldn't help-even at this time- to smile ever so slightly.   
But then, the scene changed abruptly. He suddenly felt the sensation that he was flying over the mist-covered Evil Forest, and was headed towards Alexandria. He was filled with horror as he entered the nearly deserted town. Of those who had stayed, they were being chased and burnt to death by Bahamut, with Kuja standing triumphantly over them.   
But what was worse was the fact that Atomos was now trying to suck in Alexandria Castle. Flags and stones flew through the air into his mouth, causing Zidane to trip and fall. And then, in the mist, on Odin was a strange figure in a balaclava. But as the hood fell, a young man with blond hair and a manly face was there.   
But it couldn't be-this person-it couldn't be-him! At that moment, Zidane felt the world around him spin, and in a moment, he reappeared all in one piece in Alexandria Castle, by Garnet (who was still unconscious).   
*****  
"Is our plan working?" Uken asked his two servants, the White Mages Rathburn and Choi. "Yes, yes, yes!" Rathburn exclaimed, clapping his hands in glee, and releasing a fresh amount of magic dust on Uken, who was already coated in a fine layer of the dust.   
Uken put on a disgusted look, but it quickly dissolved when Choi said, "And we've put the girl to an eternal sleep, and the boy into a Trance."   
"Yes, and it'll make him loose his Trance abilities!" Rathburn said. Uken smiled sinisterly, looking at the ceiling. His eyes burnt with hatred; hatred for the one who had imprisoned him for life-Queen Brahne's husband. "I have had my revenge on the Queen," he said menacingly. "And the Princess is about to die."   
"My lord," Rathburn and Choi said in unison. "Why do you do this to the Royal Alexandrian family?" Uken's eyes flashed with anger for a second, but it quickly disappeared. "I'll tell you everything," he said. "It started six years ago. I lived in Bear Village. We had a happy family-poor, maybe-but happy.   
"But then, one day, the king's troops came and destroyed our little village for no reason! Murdered my family, and after they found me hiding in a wheat field, they set me to work as a slave. But I wasn't strong- no, I wasn't, and so I ended up in jail on a life imprisonment term. But my aunt smuggled me out-she was a fine person, and she sacrificed the only thing that she had."  
Rathburn and Choi gasped loudly, as Uken smiled wickedly and said, "And from that day on, I swore I'd have my vengeance on the Royal Alexandrian family, and I shall!"   
*****  
Garnet drifted in and out of consciousness in the next few hours. For a few minutes, she was almost herself again, but it ended quickly when her mind went blank and she hit her pillow. But Zidane wouldn't leave her. His eyes were red and puffy from either crying too much, or for staying up too late. "Zidane." Steiner put a warming hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off.   
"Steiner, please." And he didn't bother Zidane anymore. The candle by the side of the bed had burnt down, leaving the room quite dark. Suddenly, Garnet stirred ever so slightly, but Zidane and Steiner jumped and ran to her. "Z-Zidane?" She asked unevenly, not quite sure of how her eyes might be playing tricks. "She knows!" Steiner exclaimed. "She knows!"   
Garnet shook her magnificent head like Steiner was the one who was mental, and she looked up into the eyes of Zidane Tribal. Hers were full of gratitude and love; his were the same. And slowly, they closed their mouths together and kissed, ever so lightly, when Beatriz stormed into the room.   
"Your highness!" She exclaimed, looking quite shocked that Garnet was awake. Beatrix quickly bowed deeply so that her hair touched the ground. When she got up, she became cross that her hair now looked messy and tangled.   
"I was just about to call on you," she said lightly, but Garnet knew better. "...And as for you." (Beatrix pointed a menacing finger at Steiner) "...You should've told me you were going to stay here all night...I was so worried!"   
"'Bout what?" Steiner asked innocently.   
"Nothing!" Beatrix said nervously with a slight break in her voice. "Nothing at all!"   
Garnet and Zidane laughed quietly. "Never, and I MEAN NEVER," Zidane whispered loudly. "Will you do that again, OK?" Garnet laughed and said, "Well...alright."   
*****  
Rathburn and Choi were quite cross, indeed. They had been walking down the hall when Garnet had passed them, and it was now their unfortunate job to break the bad news to Uken.   
"What d'you think he'll say?" Rathburn asked nervously, as the two approached his door. "No idea," Choi answered. "But you've got to say we failed the boss!"   
"No way, it's your fault!"   
"Well, if you had made the acid stronger, we wouldn't be chuckling like jellyfish!"   
"I do not chuckle like Jellyfish!" (And so on).   
To Be continued...  
  
OK, answer 'cause I need to know your ideas about this and you've got to do it! So, you know the motto. R&R, please!   
  



	4. Forever, Pt 4, The Portal of Life

Forever, Pt. 4, The Portal of Life  
  
Disclaimer: Yes! R&R on this one, please! I don't own FFIX, OK?   
  
The parties of heroes made their way back up the mountain. It was time for them to make another stop in the Ice Cavern; the last time they'd been there, Zidane had discovered Uken's lair. Zidane was extremely superstitious about Garnet's safety after what had happened last time. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" He asked for the fifth time. Garnet sighed deeply. "Yes!"   
The Ice Cavern came back into view, and the long icicles hanging from the ceiling sparkled in the small amount of sun that could reach there. But something else bothered Garnet. Was it just her or did the Ice Cavern's shape look sort of like a skull?   
Inside, the cavern was as magnificent as the last time, but one thing was the same: the hole the Uranians had made only two days ago. "Zidane?" Dagger clutched Zidane's arm as she felt a strong mist closing in on them. Uken. But something wasn't right.   
"Ah, I see you've returned," Uken said as his mist settled in. After removing his full cloak, he looked quite spectacular, in a suit of gold and blue.   
"What do you want?!" Zidane shouted angrily. "I only want her," Uken pointed to Garnet again. "Queen Garnet, will you have the honor of coming with me to my lair?" Garnet tried to resist, but Uken was cheating. He had put some kind of a jinx on her, and now she was acting under his control.   
Slowly, she made her way up to him and held his hand as he pulled her onto a raised ledge in the ice. Uken had deliberately made it, probably. But Zidane wouldn't give up. Not this time! Not again! With a strong force of superhuman strength, Zidane jumped up and Trance-formed. Now that he had turned completely white, he could unleash a powerful attack.   
Garnet, in the meantime, seemed to have come back to her senses, to Uken's dismay and shouted, "Zidane! You can do it! Go!" But Zidane, slowly was losing the battle between Uken. Uken kept on dodging his attacks, and Uken's attacks were much more powerful and did much damage.   
Garnet, somehow, felt a strong ripple of anger in her, and with a burst of energy, she let forth all her summons at once. Bahamut, Shiva, Ifrit, Atomos and Odin jumped out at Uken, catching him by surprise. "You can't defeat me!" he screamed loudly, but before he knew what was happening, Bahamut had used MegaFlare, turning Uken into ashes. Slowly, Zidane got up painfully.   
"Are you alright?" Garnet asked worriedly, holding out her hand. Zidane gladly took it, and added, "Yes, don' worry." Garnet couldn't help but smile; she was sure her life was back to normal now...but then...  
A swishing noise was heard overhead, and before anyone knew what was happening, a huge portal had opened over the Iifa tree. This was the Portal of Life, opening the link between Gaia, the Crystal world, and the Memoria II. "Where should we go?" Garnet asked, knowing for a fact that they would have to split up soon.   
"Well," Zidane figured, counting on his hand. "We could ask the party, I mean crew of the Prima Vista to join us...that'd be two groups and you, Vivi and me can be another group!"   
"Yeah!" Zidane turned around. It was indeed the crew of the Prima Vista, making their way up the mountain and screaming and shouting with glee. "We'll stay here!" said Blank and his group. "And we'll go to the Crystal world!" said Cinna and his group.   
"That leaves the Memoria II for us," Vivi announced breathlessly. Garnet nodded slowly, but Zidane was uncertain. "Maybe we should get more reinforements," he said worriedly. "Zidane!" Garnet called, waving her hand in front of his face. "How dare you! If you're not going, I am."   
Zidane certainly didn't want Garnet to go alone, she had almost come to the point of extinction-to be wiped clear out of the world. "OK," he agreed humbly, as Garnet smiled broadly, showing her perfect teeth.   
The portal's light shone brightly, as the groups- separate now- stepped forward towards the light. "See ya soon!" Cinna yelled as they were sucked in. It was the most interesting process- first, they turned into little dots and then their information was reconfigured, allowing them to travel freely between the worlds. Then, Zidane, Garnet, and Vivi stood out towards the light. There was a air of determination around them, as they also reconfigured and flew away, leaving Blank behind.   
As the party slowly entered Memoria II, they saw a dark, dark world overhead. "That's it?" Garnet said disbelieving. "That's the legendary Memoria II, all covered in eternal night?" It seemed to be true; everything was so dark and black-pitch black. There was no mercy in lightening up a bit. There wasn't a living soul anywhere.   
"We'll have to turn it back to the way it was," Vivi said. "I don't think so!" The group whirled around, to find the Ice Fairy staring at them sinisterly. "You know me, I'll just play with you a bit!" she cackled. Then, she sent a burst of white flame (the ice) towards Garnet. "Black Magic!" Vivi had saved Garnet by using his attack to melt the ice. But they couldn't stay long, the fairy was returning.   
"Ah, I love games," She yelled over a whirl of wind. "Maulstrom!" The wave of ice-cold water ripped like 100 knives in Zidane's skin. He felt himself burning-burning in freezing water! But only one thing was on Zidane's mind. Garnet! Where could she be? Suddenly, Zidane heard a muffled cry. "Zidane!" Garnet gasped, as she surfaced, dragging Vivi along with her. "We've got to get out of here!"   
To Be Continued...  
  
This one was corny, at least I think so, but reply, please!   



	5. Forever, Pt 5, When Will My Hero Come?

CHAPTER 5 - When Will My Hero Come?  
  
Well, I guess you've been wanting me to get this up. I tried reading my old stories but they were horribly scrunched up! So I got this new one up. Hope it works!!:) ~~~~ The ice hit with the ferocity of a thousand Bahumuts, and Dagger was nearly swept off her feet as she tried to look through the maulstrom for Zidane. He was nowhere to be found. There was another gust of wind, and suddenly, she was alone. Where was Vivi? "Help!" she screamed with her last breath as she sank to the frozen ground. ~~~~ Zidane had been standing in the eye of the storm when it hit, and he was carried away, right out of the cavern. He went flying through the air, his powers useless since he was too frozen. He landed with the thud on the hard, hot ground and looked up. He lay right in front of a hundred soldiers, headed by Adalbert Steiner, who looked as though it was his birthday. "Look boys," he smiled, his first smile in years. "Look whos come to join the party." Zidane was swept off his feet by two guards, and the guards stuffed him into a large cage. The cage was propped onto another cart, and he was driven away. By the time his powers began to return, he was locked up like an animal. ~~~~~ Dagger awoke in the dark of the night. She was surprised to see that the ice was gone, but she was still chilly. "Garnet...." A voice seemed to drift out of nowhere. Dagger jumped up as if someone had poked her with a needle, looking around blindly. "Garnet...." "My name's Dagger," she said, sounding braver than she felt. There was a laugh on the other end. "Garnet...." Dagger looked around. If she had looked at the ceiling of the cave, she would have spotted two red eyes staring at her. "Who are you?" she asked softly. "Why are you chasing me?" There was a laugh - again. "When there is only one person to deal with, I deal with it fast." Dagger screamed as a white dragon swept from the ceiling and crashed down on the ground next to her. She groped around for her rod, but came up empty. "Maulstrom!" Another blast of cold flew at her. Now she knew how the blizzard had come, but what did that matter when she was about to die? "You're closing your eyes for eternity!" the dragon hissed like a snake. "Take a look around you for the last time, Garnet!" Dagger looked around. All she saw was white snow flying everywhere. "My name's Dagger," she muttered, half asleep. Then - "Black Magic!" Dagger was taken out of her dream-world suddenly. She woke up to see Vivi the Black Mage standing beside her. The dragon lay dead at the entrance of the cavern. The cave was blocked. "Oh Vivi!" Dagger pulled him into a bear-hug. There was a slight tinge of red on the mage's black face. "Can't you do anything about the dragon?" Vivi shook his head. Dagger sighed. "I guess we'll have to go further into the cavern then." Vivi nodded, and hand in hand, the newly united friends headed into the dull emptiness.  
  
Sorry it couldn't be longer, but I'm going to Florida (woohoo!!) Yay! And Sorry I ended it in a double-cliffhanger, Zidane's heading off to Alexandria, and Dagger and Vivi are trapped, but I'll try to get online at disneyworld! Sorry if I get anythin' wrong, but im a bit rusty.... 


End file.
